Lawn mower



May 3,1927. 1,627,252

C. A. PETERS LAWN MOWER Filed June 7, 1924 4 Sheets-Shet 1 n4 r I H4 '7 8 IN VENTOR;

' A Tron/vain:

May 3, 1927.

C. A. PETERS LAWN MOWER Filed June 7, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR." C. A. PETERS. BY M A TTORNE Y6 C. A. PETERS LAWN MOWER May 3, 1927. 1,627,252

Filed June 7, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N vs A- PETERS.

A TTOFFNE Ya May 1927' c. A. PELIER'S LAWN MOWER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 7, 1924 ,I N VE-NTOR 6'. A. PETERQ 5v 0. MM

Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE;

CORNELIUS A. PETERS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

LAWN mownn.

Application filed June 7, 1924. Serial No. 718,490.

in connections. Another object is to pro 'vi e operating mechanism which is adjust- 10- ably constructed in such manner that it can be readily applied to lawn mowers having different distances between the traction wheels and having different sized traction wheels. Another object is to provide a con- 1 s'truction which permits the motor, which is preferably an internal combustion engine to be attached to and detached from a support carried by the machine. Other objects are to provide a power-driven lawn mower 20 which is easy and economical to' manufac- --ture, eiiicient. in operation and of sufficiently light weight so that it can be readily steered and manipulated by the operator who walks at the rear.

u The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereof, and the novel features embodiedin my inventive idea will be particularly pointed out .in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the practical embodiment of my .invention,-.-

Fig. 1 is a-rear elevational View of the machine. .Fig. 2 is a side elevational view 85 thereof. Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a view in vertical section on the lines 4--4 of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. (iis a view 4 similar to Fig. but showing some of the parts in different position. Fig. 7 is a view in vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig.

1. Fig. 8 is a view in vertical section on theline 8--8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a detail 45 view in section on the line 99 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is a detail view in section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.- j

Referring to the construction shown -in the drawings, the main frame of the machine 60 includes a pair of discs 12 connected, by a crossbar 13 and having rearwardly-extending arms 14 which carry a fixed cutter bar 16 and a roller 18 for engaging with the ground as is customary. Extending outwardly from the discs 12 are stub shafts 20 u on which traction wheels 22 are rotata 1y mounted. Secured within the corrugated runs of the traction wheels are internal gears 24 with which mesh pinions 26 secured .on the ends of a cutter shaft 28 carrying the rotary cutter blades 30. Angular supports 32 are adjustably secured to the crossbar 13 near the ends thereof by clips 34. Blocks 36 are adjustably secured to the supports 32 by bolts 38, the heads of which engage in undercut recesses in the blocks as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. The blocks 36 have square openings in which fit the outer ends of two sguare bars 40 and 42, whose inner ends exten past each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and are received in a sleeve member 44 in which they are adjustably held by set screws 46. The sleeve member 44 carries an extension 48 which containsv a vertical dove-tailed recess which receives a corresponding projection 50 carried by a motor base 51, so that this base and the motor carried thereby maybe readily removed. The motor, consists of an internal combustion engine 52 having an engine shaft 54 to which is secured a sprocket wheel 56 connected by a sprocket chain 58 to a sprocket wheel 60 secured to a hollow shaft member 62 which telescopically receives a solid shaft member 64. The two shaft members just referred to are secured together in adjusted position by a locking nut 66 and it will be understood that upon properly adjusting this nut the shaft members may telescope more or less as desired. The outer ends of the shaft members 62 and 64 are mounted in similar bearings 68 and 70 carried by slides 72 mounted for sliding movement upon airs of vertical rods 74 which extend up. mm

82, the two branches-ofwhich have openin receiving the rods 74. The position of t e members 82 on the rods may be adjusted'by means of the bolts 78. The slides 72 are connected with ears on the members 82 by pairs of coiled springs 84 whereby the bearings 68 and 70 carried by those slides are held resiliently upward with the bearings 68 and 70 in engagement with cams' 86.

' The cams 86 are positioned between the extendin branches of the members 82 and are secured to shafts 88' passing rotatably through these branches. The shafts 88 have crank arms 90 whose outer ends are connected b springs 92 with rods 94 adjustably secur to arms of bell-cranks 96, *whoseother arms are connected by rods 98'with crank-arms 99 on the inner ends of two shafts 100 mounted in the crossbar member 102 of a rearwardlyhandle 104 whose forward end is secure in a socket member 106 secured by a bolt 108 to lugs 110 extending up from the sleeve member 44. It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the bell-cranks 96 are pivoted to ears extending out from the socket memberg 106. The outer endsfof the shaft 100 are provided with hand cranks 112- by means of which the rods 98 will be pulled from the dotted-line position shown in F1 10 into the full-line position shown in t is figure.

'When this is done the cams 86 are turned from the position shown in Fig. 6 into that shown in Fig. 5.

Secured to the outer ends of the shaft members 62 and 64 are friction wheels 114 provided with rubber 'rin s for engagement with the corrugated perip eries of the traction wheels 22. When the earns 86 are turned into the position shown in Fig. 5, the friction wheels 114 are forced into engagement with the traction wheels 22'so that, as

countered. The bars 76 are connected shown in Fig.8, the rubber rings and the wheels have in effect interengaging teeth.

At the'same time the rubber will yield and permit sli page in case too great resistance to forwar y two bars 116 and 118 'whose inner ends overlap each other as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and

- are adjustably secured in a sleeve 120 which is provided with a bolt 122 for securing the forward end of a brace rod 124 whose rear end-is adjustably secured to the handle 104 as shown in Fig. 2. Mounted on the rear of the handle member is a lever 126 which is connected by a wire 128 with the engine for controlling the supply of gas thereto. A sheet metal angular. support 130 connected with the base of. the engine has an upser horizontal a i fuel-oil tan 132 connected by a supply pipe .rtion upon which is secure 134 with .the engine carburetor 136. As shown i'n Fig. 7, upwardly-extending bars 138 are secured to. the 'arms 14 while secured to the upper ends of. these bars are u-shaged pieces 140, the arms of which are provi ed with holes to slidably receive the lower ends of rods 142 which are s'urroundedby coiled spring 144 inte ed between the lower arms of the members 140 and cotter-pins 146 i----passing through" the rods 142. Secured to" the upper ends 5f the rods 142 are U-shape'd pieces 148 extending between the arms of which are ,bars 150 secured at their forward movement of the machine is en-' tions.

. a tendenc ends to the bars 76 and having openings .in their rear ends through which the rods 142 The operation and advantages of my invention will be. obvious in connection with the foregoing descri tion. The lawn mower is propelled along t e ground by the motor l and. is easily manipulated and steered by the operator who walks at the rear so that 75 the crank handles 112 are within easy, reach. An important feature of the invention consists in providing means under control of the operator whereby the friction wheels may be either simultaneously or indepenci ently engaged with and disengaged from the traction Wheels in order that the main either direction to any desired extent and can be turned so as to start back in the opposite direction. It will be understood that in wardly simultaneously the p machine will be stopped wi hout stopping the motor. When th1s latter condition exists the machine may be readily pulled backwardly by hand. It will be noted that the springs 84 contract and cause the friction wheels to be disengaged from the. traction case both crank handles a: pushed for- "wheels when the cams 86 are in releasedcondition. The employment of friction wheels for driving the cutter shaft permits slippa andavoids injury to the machine when t e cutter blades strike stones or other obstruc- It will also be noted that a limited amount of 'upqmd-down movement of the ground roller 18is rmitted on account of the U-members 148 av'ing two armsada' ted to engage the lower and u per sides of e ,bars 150.' If the rear of t emachine has to lift more than a limited amo'untthis lifting action is b the compression of the s rin furt er noted that t e s aft which, carries the friction wheels is made in two telescoping parts, that the bars 40 and 42 are adjustab y secured in the sleeve 42 and that the bars 11'6and 118 are adjustably secured in sleeve 120. This construction provides for adjustment according to the distance :between the two traction wheels. The adjust-' ing'screws 78 provide-for adjustment according to the. size of the traction wheels,

he motor may be readily removed when do- It is evident that the machine can be turned opulsion of the s red on account of the motor base having a dove-tailed projection engagin in a recess in the member 48, as shown in ig. 3.

traction'whee s' and said transverse shaft,

1 mounted, a fixed cutter blade carrie o erate with said fixedblade, a transverse s aft to which said rotary blades-are secured; drivin connections between said slides mounted for-vertical movement above said traction wheels, a transverse shaft" mounted in bearingscarried by said slides,

said slides '11 transverse shaft from'sa'id motor.

friction vwheels secured to. said shaft adjall centsaid bearings, sprinis tending to move wardly to rin sai friction wheels out o engagement wit said traction wheels, cams engaging the upper sides of said slides for moving said friction wheels into enga ment with said traction'wheels;

means un er control of the operator for 0 erating said cams, a motor carried by said support,and means for driving said second 25 In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. 7 v CORNELIUS A. PETERS. 

